The Light Beside the Sea by Connie di Marco
The Light Beside the Sea (A Zodiac Mystery)
Traditional Mystery
5th in Series
Setting: San Francisco, California
Publisher: CMA Literary (May 6, 2024)
Paperback: 341 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8989009596
Digital Print length: 318 pages
ASIN: B0D393JQ87
About The Light Beside the Sea:
San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti has been haunted for years by the hit and run death of her fiancé, Michael Sefton. The driver of the vehicle was never apprehended. The lone witness to the accident spoke to no one and now is dead. Even the cold case detective assigned to the case died before any resolution was found. Every time Julia thought she might be getting close to an answer, each clue led only to a dead end.
Michael, a graduate student, had just returned from an archeological dig in Guatemala when he was killed. But why did he mail his journal to Julia for safekeeping before his return home? What was he afraid of? Why did another graduate student fall to his death on that trip? And now, another man connected with that journey has been murdered closer to home. And the murderer hasn’t finished.
When Julia finally finds the courage to delve into the journal Michael sent to her years before, she learns of the undercurrents, jealousies and anger between members of the group. She begins to understand the pressure and fear her fiancé was coping with and his suspicions of their University mentor who was most likely engaged in unethical and illegal behavior. But events soon take a darker turn when Julia finds a likeness of the Maya god Hunhau, god of death and the underworld, on her doorstep. A strange man covered with markings and tattoos keeps appearing to her but no one else seems to see him. With guidance from another professor she’s introduced to a world she never knew existed.
Is the man she sees human? And is he under the sway of the Maya god of death?
Will he unleash evil or is he here to right a wrong done to his people?
Julia must move quickly or her death will be the next.
My Review:
The Light Beside the Sea is the fifth book in the Zodiac Mysteries. Julia is still reeling from the untimely and sudden death of her fiancé, Michael Sefton. After returning home from Guatemala, Michael was run down and killed. Was the archeological dig he was part of, the reason for the death? Is the death of one his colleagues on that same trip related to Michael's death? Now, Julia learns of another recent death of someone related to that trip. Julia finally has the courage to read the journal Michael mysteriously mailed to her prior to leaving Guatemala. The journal, filled with passages of anger and jealousy, pushes Julia down the path of a world she was unaware of until now.
The Light Beside the Sea is a great addition to the Zodiac Mystery Series. The twists and turns in the book had my head spinning as I desperately tried to piece things together. The author pulled in characters that had motive, means, and opportunity. I enjoyed at the ebb and flow of the book and how the author tied everything together. The multi-faceted story kept me engaged and interested throughout the entire book.Of course, the death of Michael has haunted Julia for years and during the parts where she had to revisit her past, I really felt her emotions bleed through the pages. She’s still grieving because there really hasn’t been any closure to the tragedy that struck. When she has to fully engage in the journal, new world she comes involved in, revisit the cold case death, and deaths of others from the same trip, her emotional wounds reopen.
The Zodiac Mystery series is very interesting. I'm glad I've been along for the ride. The author does a great job weaving together different threads.
I was provided a copy of this book.
Review previously published on Sapphyria's Books
My Rating:
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